FINNTROLL

Blackguard, Metastoll

FINNTROLL

The last leaves have fallen in the old world of Europe. Trees are stripped to wooden skeletons, Winter is at its coldest. The old magic is fading away…
FINNTROLL's new album, a storm of old-world-laden, folk-rooted black metal called "Nifelvind", will be the sound that freezes souls as it blows from the grim North this February 2010

The Twilight of the Gods

It is a troubled tale that has been told many times before…
Anno 1997: during a night of alcoholic carnage in Finland Teemu "Somnium" Raimoranta (guitar) and Jan "Katla" Jämsen (vocals) conceived of a band that fused the darkness and grandeur of black metal with the traditional Finnish hoedown-music. The resultant sound was FINNTROLL. The namesake came from an old Finnish legend where Swedish priests coming to Finland had an encounter with a wild-looking man who killed most of their party. The survivors came back bearing the tale of the FINNTROLL.

Anno 1998: A year later Skrymer, Tundra, Trollhorn and the mighty Beast Dominator joined the band that soon became the biggest name in the rising Folk/Pagan Metal scene – even if they never aimed for sitting at the head of that table.
FINNTROLL was soon to overcome the sort of obstacles that would have left most bands defeated and bleeding.
Founding member Katla had to leave the band after the release of the second album "Jaktens Tid" (2001) because of severe throat problems. Shortly after, the other founding member Somnium died after tragically falling from a bridge. His legacy was continued by Routa, while Katla was replaced by Wilska who already left in 2006. Ultimately, it was with the final comrade in arms to join Vreth, on vocals, with whom the band reached their biggest successes including a legendary co-headline show at Wacken Open Air 2006 – well documented on the last album's "Ur Jordens Djup" bonus DVD.

Nifelvind

"Nifelvind" was recorded at Sonic Pump Studios (Apocalyptica, Amorphis, Ensiferum, etc.) in Helsinki, Finland and mastered by Mika Jussila (Children Of Bodom, Sonata Arctica, Him, etc.) at Finnvox Studios. The album cover artwork was done again by the band's own guitarist Skrymer.
"Nifelvind" remains true to the FINTROLL mythos and ethos: According to Vreth the new album "is the most advanced and mature FINNTROLL-album to date, with musical themes ranging from powerful death metal riffs to dark soundtracks, from pounding black metal to groovy 80's pop-music. All this is accompanied by our trademark sound, lots of never-before-heard instruments in the metal-scene, folklore and legends that make it overall the most versatile album we have created so far."

The lyrics are still written by the founding member Katla in Swedish. Both Katla and Vreth are part of the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland. "All cultures have similarities in their myths and folklore. Tales of bitter dead walking again, sagas of good and evil and songs of divine ascension.." states Katla. "That in some form probably date back to the beginning of speech and song, are a fascinating lore that maybe defines our humanity but also our feelings of loss concerning our contacts to nature and the bestiality that lies within every human being. This album is a celebration of those myths, some new some ageless. Some true, some complete nonsense. That is the nature of folklore. Under every root and stone lays a story heard but untold."